The HLB System

Systematic method for selecting the

most effective nonionic emulsifier(s)
for any given application
Systematic method for selecting the
most effective nonionic emulsifier(s)
for any given application

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

HLB System Outline
System history
HLB definition
Surfactant structures
Emulsion types and phenomena
Three-step surfactant selection method
HLB requirement determination
System flexibility
Summary

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

History of the HLB System
A system invented 54 years ago by
William C. Griffin of the Atlas Powder Company
The letters HLB stand for
Hydrophile Lipophile Balance
(water compat) (oil compat) (Ratio)
It was developed for use with NONIONIC surfactants

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

HLB
HLB
System
System
Definition
Definition
All nonionic surfactants have an
All nonionic surfactants have an
HLB Value
HLB Value
the higher the number, the more hydrophilic (water soluble)
the lower the number, the more lipophilic (oil soluble)
Emulsion oils and emulsion applications have specific
Emulsion oils and emulsion applications have specific
HLB Requirements
Matching the
Matching the
HLB
HLB
requirement
requirement
with a surfactants
with a surfactants
HLB
HLB
value
value
yields optimum performance
yields optimum performance

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

HLB Values of Blended Components
HLB Values of Blended Components
The
The
HLB
HLB
value
value
of
of
a
a
surfactant
surfactant
blend
blend
is
is
the
the
weighted
weighted
average
average
of
of
the
the
HLBs
HLBs
of
of
the
the
blended
blended
surfactants
surfactants
( ie 50 / 50 blend of HLB 4 w/ HLB 16 = HLB 10 )
The
The
HLB
HLB
requirement
requirement
of
of
an
an
oil
oil
blend
blend
is
is
the
the
weighted
weighted
average
average
of
of
the
the
HLB
HLB
requirements
requirements
of
of
the
the
blended
blended
components
components
( ie 50 / 50 blend of Req 10 oil w/ Req 14 ester = Req 12 )

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

Emulsion Types
Emulsions are classified as:
oil-in-water (o/w)
the continuous phase is water
dispersed oil droplets
med / high HLB requirement
water-in-oil (w/o) invert
the continuous phase is oil
dispersed water droplets
low HLB requirement
Milk
Hand Cream

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

How HLB Values of Nonionic
Surfactants are Determined
The molecular weight percent Hydrophile ( PEG, polyols )
of a given nonionic surfactant is simply divided by 5
This yields an HLB range of 1 to 20
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
HO
mol wt PEG = 600 mol wt lipophile= 400
60%Hydrophile
60 / 5 = HLB 12
600 / 1000

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

Examples of matching HLB values
to application requirements
Compatibilizing dissimilar oils
Use surfactants with HLBs of 1 to 3
Formulating water-in-oil emulsions
Use surfactants with HLBs 4 to 6
Wetting powders into oils
Use surfactants with HLBs of 7 to 9
Formulating oil-in-water emulsions
Use surfactant blends with HLBs of 8 to12
Formulating detergent solutions
Use surfactants with HLBs of 13 to 15

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

The Three-Step System
1) Determine the HLB Requirement of oil
2) Determine the most effective surfactants
3) Determine surfactant concentration required
to achieve desired stability / rheology
Required HLBs are accurate to
+ / - 0.5 HLB units
Reduce black-art dependency

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

+/
+/
-
-
.5 Unit HLB Accuracy
.5 Unit HLB Accuracy
Invert Emulsion Experiment
HLB 6 Surfactant HLB 5 Surfactant
4% surfactant
4% surfactant
9% surfactant
9% surfactant
O

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Typical HLB Requirements for Oils
Class Required HLB
Vegetable oil family 6
Silicone oils 8-12
Petroleum oils 10
Typical ester
emollients
12
Fatty acids and
Alcohols
14-15

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

Determination of HLB Requirement
Determination of HLB Requirement
HLB HLB Span 80 Span 80 Tween Tween 80 80
4 4 100 %
6 6 83 % 83 % 17 % 17 %
8 8 65 % 65 % 35 % 35 %
10 10 46 % 46 % 54 % 54 %
12 12 28 % 28 % 72 % 72 %
14 14 9 % 9 % 91 % 91 %
15 15 100 % 100 %

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

Step 1
-
-
Determine the Required HLB
Determine the Required HLB
Use applicable water hardness, pH and temp.
HLB 4 HLB 6 HLB 8 HLB 10 HLB12 HLB14

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HLB 11 HLB 12 HLB 13
Step 1 -
Determine the Required HLB
Determine the Required HLB

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

_
---------
---------
Surf. A
15 %
Surf. B
15 %
Surf. C
15 %
Surf. C
8 %
Surf. C
4 %
Steps 2 and 3
Steps 2 and 3
Select the chemistry.Determine the conc.
Select the chemistry.Determine the conc.
All surfactants: HLB = 12
-
-----

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

How Stability of Your Emulsion Is Affected
by HLB and Concentration of Emulsifier
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
% Concentrati on of Emul si fi er
S
t
a
b
i
l
i
t
y
HLB =11 HLB =11
HLB =12 HLB =12
CHEM C CHEM C
CHEM A CHEM A

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

Rule of thumb
Rule of thumb
Oil
Water
Oil
Water
Water
Surfactant wide blends are generally more
effective than using a single surfactant
Surfactant wide blends are generally more
effective than using a single surfactant

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

A Personal Experience
a.m.
Taking a shortcut
>>>>>> 3 hours of 100% failure
Lunch time contemplation
p.m.
HLB System to the rescue
HLB System to the rescue
>>>>> 1 hour 100% success
Incomplete information

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

Complete System Flexibility
Complete System Flexibility
Any number of components can be added to the oil
before the HLB requirement is determined
ie corrosion inhibitors
biocide package
anionic emulsifiers
lubricity / EP adds
Tech Service Story
Tech Service Story
Formulation Surfactant Pivot Pair
Formulation Surfactant Pivot Pair

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

Anionic HLB Values
Anionic HLB Values
Apparent anionic HLB values
When used in combination with nonionics,
they behave as if..
TEA Oleate HLB 12
Na Oleate HLB 18
K Oleate HLB 20
Sulfonates HLB 4 to 7

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HLB / Water
HLB / Water
Dispersibility
Dispersibility
Relationships
Relationships
HLB 1- 4 No dispersibility
HLB 3 - 6 Poor dispersibility
HLB 6 - 8 Milky after shake
HLB 8 - 10 Stable milky dispersion
HLB 10 - 13 Translucent to clear
HLB 13+ Clear solution

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

Summary
Summary
HLB System predicts how oils and surfactants will
likely interact
Surfactants have HLB values
the higher the number - the more hydrophilic
the lower the number - the more lipophilic
Required HLBs are accurate to
+ / - 0.5 HLB units !!
Oils and applications have HLB requirements
Matching the surfactant HLB value with the HLB
requirement will yield optimum performance / cost
Two opportunities to optimize performance / cost

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

Improve Your Accuracy
2
1
4
0
0
1
4
0
0

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

Were disappointed by the lack of
science behind the HLB System,
we just use it because it works.
- Tech Director, major consumer products company

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

1
2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37
38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46
47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56
57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66
67
Sulfonates ( low HLB )
Aux Emulsifier (HLB?)
K-TOFA (high HLB)
Base Components:
Mineral oil
Sulfonate - Mid MW
Sulfonate - Hi MW
K - TOFA Hi rosin
Amine
Coupling agent
Prospect Points = 13, 16, 21, 33, 40, 44, 62
Experimental Design
to Achieve Final HLB Balance
HLB Balance (8 /12%)
HLB Req. ??
>>>> Result: Perfect HLB
>>>> balance established

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved

Disclaimer
Although the information and recommendations in this publication are believed to
be accurate and are given in good faith, UniqemaTMmakes no representation or
warranty as to the completeness or accuracy of any information given. Suggestions
made concerning uses or applications are only the opinion of Uniqema and users
should undertake their own tests and analysis to determine the suitability of these
products for their own particular purpose. However because of numerous factors
affecting results, Uniqema MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY,
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO INFORMATION OR THE PRODUCT TO WHICH
THE INFORMATION REFERS.
Nothing contained herein is to be construed as a recommendation to use any
product, process, equipment or formulation in conflict with any patent or other
intellectual property right and Uniqema makes no representation or warranty,
express or implied, that the use thereof will not infringe any patent or other
intellectual property right, including without limitation copyright, trademark and
designs, of any third party.
Any trademarks herein identified including without limitation Uniqema and the ICI
Roundel are trademarks of the ICI Group of Companies. The ICI Group of
Companies shall mean Imperial Chemical Industries PLC, and all companies or
other legal entities owned directly or indirectly by Imperial Chemical Industries PLC
Uniqema is an international business of Imperial Chemical Industries, PLC.
Uniqema operates through ICI affiliated companies in the relevant countries such
as ICI Americas, Inc., ICI Uniqema Inc., and Mona Industries in the USA.

2005 UNIQEMA Ltd, all rights reserved